Atlas (SF)
Atlas is the Titan of Endurance and Strength. As penance for leading the armies of Kronos against him in the First Titanomachy, Zeus forced him to hold up the sky for all eternity. He is Kronos's second-in-command, and is in charge of recruiting monsters for the Titans' cause. After Kronos's defeat, Atlas is employed by Arachne, who provides him with Cyclopes to take his place while he enforces the plans of the vengeful monster. Biography The First Titanomachy, and aftermath Atlas was the Titan of Endurance and Strength, and one of the most powerful of the Titans. He differed greatly in several terms from his brothers - unlike the sophisticated Prometheus, the megalomaniacal Kronos, Atlas was extremely arrogant and overconfident to a fault. He fought against the Olympian Gods, alongside his brother Kronos, in the first Titanomachy. Atlas was probably Kronos's most loyal ally during the eleven-year war, as the likes of Prometheus preferred to stay neutral and to evaluate their benefits from both sides of the conflict. Atlas fought viciously in the Titanomachy, and was the most experienced and brutal warrior to be found on the battlefield - the Olympians were terrified of him in combat situations. However, during the final battle, Zeus devastated Mount Othrys and toppled Kronos with his new, extremely powerful weapon - the Lightning Bolt. With Kronos destroyed, Atlas and his brothers were brought to heel by the rest of the Olympians. Unlike the others, who hung their heads in shame, Atlas mocked and laughed in the face of Zeus, pointing out that, in destroying such a crucial part of Mount Othrys, the sky would crush the earth. Zeus had already predicted this, and arranged a special punishment for his sadistic uncle. He forced Atlas to fill in the gap that the Lightning Bolt had made, holding up the sky with absolutely naught but his own strength, for all eternity. During his imprisonment, Atlas encountered several heroes, including Perseus, and was even a direct element in the Eleventh Labour of Hercules, where he was tricked into believing that the hero would take the weight of the sky for him, only to be forced back underneath it. The Second Titanomachy He, at one point, was released from his imprisonment for much longer during the Second Titanomachy, where he was to command the armies of Kronos alongside Luke Castellan. He made a plan to overthrow Olympus using the Ophiotaurus, whose killer would have the power to topple the Gods themselves. This plan brought him into direct conflict with his Hesperide daughter, Zoe Nightshade, who had become a Hunter of Artemis. Her attention was drawn when he abducted Artemis herself to take his place at Mount Othrys. She, along with Percy Jackson, Annabeth Chase, Thalia Grace and Bianca di Angelo quested to defeat Atlas, and Bianca was killed in the process. When they finally confronted the Titan at Mount Othrys, a frenzied battle broke out in which Thalia defeated and nearly killed Luke Castellan, and Atlas battled against Zoe and Percy. Atlas made short work of both his opponents, but when Percy took Artemis's place, he found more of a challenge and was tricked into being pinned back underneath the weight of the sky, where he remained for the rest of the war. His only victory was killing Zoe in the process of his defeat. Role in the series Atlas served as the primary antagonist of The Titan's Revenge. At some point after the Second Titanomachy, he was approached by Arachne - who was famous for her endless rivalry with Athena - who gave him a group of minions. The minions brought him a large group of Cyclopes to systematically take his place under the sky. Atlas was told to manipulate the Cyclopes by sending them to Ogygia, where they would view him as a saviour for sending them somewhere so beautiful. They would then unthinkingly obey him in taking one anther's place at Mount Othrys. However, he was thwarted when Ares, the God of War who had detected his escape, sent Sylvester Falcone to confront him. There, Atlas had placed a Cyclopse named Batista underneath the sky at the time. Taking pity on the Cyclopse, Sylvester challenged the Titan to a duel, to which Atlas laughingly accepted. The two of them engaged in an intense duel that lasted twelve hours, and Atlas succeeded in leaving a brutal scar on the demigod's back. However, this enraged Sylvester into overpowering and stabbing Atlas in the heart and killing him. Atlas's body was apparently crushed underneath the funnel cloud, only just holding it up. Atlas was reformed soon after, managing to accelerate the process since Hades couldn't stop him. After he was reformed, Zeus immediately had him placed back under the sky. Atlas was viciously punished for his failure by Arachne, and he managed to be released a second time with the same plan. Obsessed with avenging himself on the demigod who had humiliated him, Atlas manipulated events throughout the quest that Sylvester would eventually take so that he was brought to Ogygia, and later captured by Atlas. Atlas imprisoned him and his friends to Mount Othrys, where he intended to torture them for fun. However, Sylvester tricked the guards into freeing them, before trying to return to Ogygia. Atlas returned, and Sylvester faced him to let his friends continue the quest. The two engaged in a climactic fight, in which Atlas appeared to have the complete advantage due to adversity and evasion. However, he was inexperienced in this style, more used to wielding his strength alone. Atlas gains the upper hand, but Sylvester drives him back towards the column, before tricking Atlas via psychological warfare into becoming overconfident and angry. Atlas knocks Sylvester down and prepares to kill him, only for the demigod to slam his shield into the Titan, knocking him back into his imprisonment once again. Atlas screams, vowing that one day he would avenge himself on the son of Athena. Later on, Sylvester has a dream that Atlas is being approached whilst enduring his punishment, and the newcomer punishes Atlas for failing it again. Personality Atlas was defined by his extremely brutal personality. He was sadistic, violent, malicious, aggressive and extremely arrogant. He was also quick to lose his temper, which made him even more dangerous in battle against another opponent. His sadistic streak was probably overdeveloped, as he was shown to be coldly mocking the Cyclopes that he trapped under the sky, belittling them for being in his position, which he would come to regret much later. He also expressed that he would torture Sylvester Falcone simply because he deeply enjoyed it. Atlas was bloodthirsty to an extreme and lusted to be in battle with weaker opponents just so he could hear them cry. He also delighted in being faced with a possibly stronger opponent, as it issued him more of a challenge and fuelled his sense of superiority. Atlas was also an arrogant and exceptionally narcissistic monster. He was renowned for incessantly bragging about his combat prowess and his absolutely incredible strength. His arrogance also made him condescending and unhealthily reckless, shown when he mocked Zeus whilst his brothers hung their heads in shame after Kronos's first defeat. Atlas is also described to accept Sylvester's duel challenge whilst laughing hysterically, showing that he is completely confident in his abilities and openly dismissive of the talents of others. Atlas's strength did earn him immense fear and respect among his peers and minions, who were constantly wary of the Titan's rage. He was recognized by many, though, to be intelligent, but only when he needed to be - which was in battle. As such, he preferred to enter a battle without a plan and to simply use his strength rather than his brain to win the day. However, he was still a master strategist and a lethal tactician, shown prominently in the First Titanomachy. He was also easily manipulated and deceived, and during his second fight with Sylvester, he did not intercept Sylvester's strategy until it was too late. He also fell for the psychological tactics that the demigod played on him. Atlas was also very disrespectful and condescending towards the Olympians, viewing Athena as not that powerful and Zeus to be an entitled fool. This led to him constantly underestimating his opponents. Atlas was vengeful and possessed a capacity for wrath that shocked many others. His sense of vengeance bordered on childlike proportions, and led to obsessions that would prove his downfall. He was obsessed with avenging himself on Sylvester Falcone after their first battle, and took sadistic pleasure in being in a position of power over the demigod when he captured him. That being said, Atlas was entirely capable of fear, as he was completely terrified of Arachne, shown when he demonstrated intense fear in the presnece of the woman and at being tortured by her. He was also terrified by the thought of being returned to his imprisonment underneath the sky. Appearance Atlas is shown to be extremely intimidating to look at, for anyone, even the Gods. He was defined by having an immense muscular frame, which showed how strong he was. He had slicked-back black hair which was combed in an almost military fashion, and his eyes are the colour of stone. His face is very brutal and his arms are remarkably powerful for a Titan, described to be able to use a lamppost as a baseball bat. He is dressed in a very expensive-looking brown business suit and tie, when not dressed in Greek battle armour reminiscent of Perseus from Clash of the Titans. ''Atlas now has a very savage stab wound from his duel with Sylvester, which causes him extreme pain from time to time. He also still suffers from a stiff neck from holding up the sky. In spite of these disadvantages, he is incredibly dextrous and agile, making him increasingly formidable in a fight. Abilities Atlas is regarded as the Terror of the Gods, which he arrogantly refers himself as, and is possibly second only to Kronos in terms of strength and capability. As such, Atlas is extremely powerful, though the full breadth of his powers are not fully shown: * '''Massive Strength': Even for a Titan, Atlas has phenomenal strength. This is his most extraordinary ability of all, as he was able to lift the entire sky for thousands of years. It is a remarkable ability, even for a Titan. He is described to have arms and hands capable of using a lamppost as a baseball bat. Atlas was so strong that he could deliver a punch so hard that it would have crushed Sylvester's stomach into powder were it not for the armour he was wearing. * Master Combatant: Atlas is a master at combat, and commanded the forces of Kronos during the first Titanomachy. In The Titan's Curse, Atlas effortlessly defeated Percy with his massive metal javelin, whilst actually toying with the boy. As a result, Percy later claims that attacking Atlas was the stupidest thing he had ever done in his life up to that point. While toying with Percy, Atlas managed to simultaneously fend off Zoë Nightshade with his mighty spear, and overwhelmed her as well. While fighting Artemis, Atlas was gaining the upper hand, and was only defeated due to his underestimation of her. Years later, after a prolonged time trapped under the sky, Atlas was still extremely skilled and dangerous, and an expert swordsman. In his first fight with Sylvester, Atlas was so proficient that the battle lasted nearly half a day, until he was defeated. In their second fight, even with his grievous injury, fighting Atlas was described to be like 'trying to block a downpour of machine-gun fire'. However, in one-on-one combat, Atlas relied entirely on his strength, and not strategy. During his first fight with Sylvester, Atlas succeeded in savagely injuring the boy, but this made him arrogant and susceptible to return fire, which is how he was defeated by the boy the first time. The second time, Atlas was forced to be more evasive by his injures, but was still incredibly lethal. However, his weakness remained his extreme arrogance and he easily fell for Sylvester's tactics. * Strategy: Atlas is a master strategist. The General's most seen talent is his adept strategic abilities, which were put to great use in the First Titanomachy. He laid a plan in The Titan's Curse to use the Ophiotaurus to destroy the Olympians, which caused great trouble for Percy and his companions. Also, when Atlas was faced with Sylvester Falcone, he showed himself to be very cunning when he needed to be, shown by his surprisingly clever way of keeping the earth from touching the sky, whilst simultaneously drawing Sylvester and his companions towards him. * '''Telumnkinesis (Limited): '''Atlas could transform his sword into a large javeline at will whenever he wanted to. Items * First sword: Atlas's first sword, which he wielded during the first two Titanomachys, was a very large two-handed sword made of an unnamed metal which Atlas could transform into a huge javeline. It was disarmed from him and claimed by Sylvester Falcone during their first duel and kept as a spoil of war at Camp Half Blood. * Second sword: Arachne gave Atlas a second sword to replace his last one after she re-released him from his burden. This one was just as heavy and strong, but with a more basic design than its predecessor. Trivia * If Atlas appeared in a movie, he would either be portrayed by Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson or Mark 'The Undertaker' Calaway. Category:Titan Category:Villains Category:Warriors Category:Children of Ouranos Category:Children of Gaia